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214
Victoria visits Barnabas in the ruins of the Old House and learns about the ancestral home's history and construction. Synopsis : My name is Victoria Winters. There are two great houses at Collinwood; one alive with the present, and the other slowly decaying, filled with the dead memories of the past. Victoria goes to the Old House in the hopes of finding David. He's not there and, when she turns to leave, the wind slams the doors shut. Victoria can't get out and is startled when someone appears on the staircase. It is Barnabas, who opens the stuck doors with a simple flick of his wrist. Act I Victoria is amazed by Barnabas' intimate knowledge of the workings of the derelict mansion. He goes on to entertain her by giving a detailed history of the construction of the Old House. His emotional connection to the house gets the better of him and he begins losing his composure. He quickly straightens himself out and agrees to walk Victoria back to Collinwood. Act II Meanwhile, Roger has recently returned from Bangor. Carolyn gives him an update on recent events. She tells him that Jason is still lurking about Collinwood, but Willie has recently disappeared. Roger responds with a bevy of sarcastic, witty comments. As the evening grows, Victoria and Barnabas arrive at Collinwood. She introduces him to Roger and Carolyn. Act III As the two men retire to Roger's study, Victoria comments on Barnabas' romantic imagination to Carolyn. She says that Barnabas gave her the strange feeling that he had actually lived in the Old House at one time. Like everyone else, Roger is astonished by how much Barnabas resembles the man in the portrait in the foyer. He recognizes the ring Barnabas is wearing as being the same one in the portrait. Act IV Barnabas claims that the ring was "handed down" to him. Roger wonders why Barnabas came to Collinsport; Barnabas explains that he was lonely in England, and that, with his wealth, seldom had true friends. He yearned for family and for the place where they originated. Barnabas expresses an interest in investing some money in the local markets and perhaps even getting involved in the Collinsport fishing industry. In the foyer, Carolyn and Victoria both express their happiness over someone friendly arriving at Collinwood after Jason and Willie's unwelcome presence. Barnabas departs and everyone is sad to see him go so soon. Roger asks the girls if they noticed the ring Barnabas was wearing; he wishes the heirloom had been given to him. Victoria comments on the resemblance of the painting and the living Barnabas; Carolyn agrees, saying it was "almost as if it were exactly a portrait of him." Outside, Barnabas stands in the foggy, nocturnal forest, smiling at Collinwood. Memorable quotes : Barnabas: In a way, you can compare the pyramids to this house. Both were built to support an ego and perpetuate a memory, but both merely survived as architectural feats. : Victoria: Oh, but, but to me, has always been a reminder of the enterprise of the people who settled here. : Barnabas: Yes. In a way, you're right. The design and construction of this house represented a marriage of the elegance of Europe and the vigor and enterprise of a new world. The foundations were made from rocks left behind by glaciers, thousands of years ago. The beams and supports were cut from ancient local forests. The plaster walls were made from crushed clam shells and horsehair. Bricks were imported from Holland. That dusty chandelier, brought over from France, gleamed with hypnotic brilliance. That faded wallpaper was especially designed by a Belgian artist. The parquet floors were installed by an Italian craftsman. Cornices and mouldings were the effort of a Spanish craftsman. It was a house to be envied by a prince. But in spite of all this, the total effort was an agony to man. Men were driven to their limits. What should have been an act and labor of love became a hateful thing. There were the crippled and the dead. Like the pyramids, one could ask, "Was it worth it?" ---- : Barnabas: This room saw much hatred. It saw families divide and devour each other. On these stairs, a father and son hurled words at each other. Words that would lead to the death of the son. laughing The death? ---- : Victoria: Well, you've made your point in comparing this house to the pyramids. But there is one difference between them. The pyramids were designed to be tombs. : Barnabas: You're right. This house was not designed to be a tomb. ---- : Carolyn (talking to Roger as he returns home from a business trip): Well, Jason is still here. : Roger: Mmm, check. : Carolyn: But Willie Loomis is gone. : Roger: Oh, bravo. You can't keep the jet set down, can you? Did he accept an invitation from the prince and princess of Monaco, or could he simply not stand another one of Mrs. Johnson's famous boiled dinners? Dramatis personae * ← Nancy Barrett as Carolyn Stoddard → * ← Louis Edmonds as Roger Collins → * ← Jonathan Frid as Barnabas Collins → * ← Alexandra Moltke as Victoria Winters → Background information and notes Production * This episode was recorded out of broadcast sequence. The previous episode to be recorded was 212. Story * Roger claims that his study was once used by Jeremiah Collins to conduct business. * Jeremiah Collins owned a vineyard in , and several bottles of wine continued to be delivered to Collinwood long after his death. The vineyard was disposed of just before , i.e. 1939. * Roger and Barnabas exit the study from its original location, off camera from the foyer, rather than down the hallway to the kitchen, as indicated in 202 and 203. * Barnabas mentions that the cornices and mouldings of the Old House were made by a Spanish craftsman, which is very unusual for a Georgian house of that size and prestige. The art of Georgian cornices and mouldings was perfected by British and Italian craftsmen, not Spanish. * TIMELINE: Day 60 takes place. Bloopers and continuity errors * Nancy Barrett stumbles a bit and muddles some words during her conversation with Roger in the drawing room upon his return. * Jonathan Frid mixes up several words when he is introduced to Carolyn and Roger by Victoria. * Jonathan Frid fumbles many lines in this episode, as he will be wont to do throughout the series. When he and Roger are in Roger's study and having a drink, Barnabas proposes a toast to "eternal health." That was clearly not the line, and Roger (in character) corrects Frid/Barnabas by responding, "Eternal health? Eternal life?" * When Roger and Barnabas are discussing Barnabas's ring, Barnabas talks about how it had been passed down to Joshua Collins, though he clearly meant Barnabas (himself). * A boom microphone shadow appears in the first scene as Victoria enters the Old House. * When Barnabas and Vicky are talking in the drawing room of the Old House, the chandelier, which can be seen in the upper left-hand corner of the screen, begins swaying by itself (no doubt having been bumped by a boom mic or something like that). * Strangely, both Vicki and Barnabas get the definition of "indefinitely" totally wrong. During the episode, Barnabas asks Vicki the difference between the words "forever" and "indefinitely". Vicki (correctly) defines forever as something that never ends. However, she defines indefinitely as something that will end at some time, and Barnabas agrees with her. This is not what indefinitely means at all – indefinitely means "not definite"; therefore, if something lasts indefinitely, it lasts for an unknown amount of time: it may end, but may also last forever. The word "indefinitely" is used correctly many times elsewhere in the series. External Links Dark Shadows - Episode 214 on the IMDb Dark Shadows Everyday - Episode 214: Very Much Alive0214